White Day

In Japan, March 14th is White Day. White Day is a day when men give gifts to the women who gave them chocolate on February 14th. In Japan, on Valentine’s Day women give chocolates to men. The celebration of Valentine’s day gained momentum in Japan in the late 1970’s.

There are many theories of how the Japanese version of Valentine’s day emerged. A common theory is that a major sweets company named Morinaga began advertising Valentine’s Day and departments store in Japan continued the trend. White Day gained momentum in the early 1980’s. Traditional gifts for White Day include white chocolate, candies, marshmallows and macarons. When a man is serious about a woman, he will usually give her a present in addition to sweets, such as a bag, purse, or jewelry, to show his feelings.